Princes of the Apocalypse

Finishing up at the fort we decide to go check out the Spire to see if they know anything about what may have happened to the delegation. Getting the will be are they welcome us in and tell us that they are planning a great feast and that we should join them. During the feast the head master tell everyone that there is a manticore that has been giving them a bit of trouble. He issues a hunt and a shiney ring to anyone who fells the the beast.

Searching for a while in the wilderness we manage to find the manitcore. Taking up arms at it we kill it, but it’s unseen mate attack also. After the battle a few Feather Gale Knights come upon us. We think they are going to congratulate us on the kill but instead they attack us.

Traveling along the road to Wonford we encounter a suit of armor that seems to be interested in Myastan. It doesn’t take any hostile action against us and it doesn’t detect of as a fiend or undead. Leaving it be it follows us for a day or two until it finally breaks of and goes on about it’s way.

Around dusk we enter the town and head to Wonford Inn to take a rest and have a few ales. The place is quite dead. The workers are very surprised to see us. Seems no one goes out at night in this town due to something called the Wonford Bat. This creature is plaguing the town at night and most people lock themselves in at night.

Asking the town folk about the bat, no one has actually seen the bat. All the rumors of the bat are though hearsay. I think the bat is a front to distract the towns people to cover up what or who is really taking the townsfolk. Patrolling another night out in the town when finally a lead breaks. We hear the screams of a man. Making haste we come across the scene of four men dragging, knocking the man out they make their way toward us. A short fight later all four are dead. Finding out that the came from a keep up the river.

We get a townsfolk, with a boat to take us up river as it seems that a keep on the river is where the mysterious people are from. Getting dropped off a bit before the keep Hue stealthy makes his way into the keep to open the front gate so the rest of us can get in. Once inside we are greeted by four men who we cut down before they can sound the alarm. Move on to find a bigger human man with blue skin…“why are you here?” he asks. “To find out why you are taking the people.” He doesn’t like our answer so he attacks. There is two human like the ones we fought in town, a fatter blue skinned man and a more row toned man who turns into a half man and half boar. I going down during the combat but the rest of the group defeats them and heals me up.

After some downtime of helping Qelline around the farm, we are asked to accompany a wagon load of ore to the town of Red Larch. Sister Garaele is coming with us as she is going to be taking over the care of one of the churches there. Seems the town only has one inn, The Swinging Sword. Enter and finding a table we over hear that there is a missing delegation from Mirabar. Seems that they went missing in Billiard. Myastan and I finish the night in the local watering hole talking to a female half orc about adventures of the past and the missing delegation.

On our third day of travel we are tracked down by some bandits along the road. I tell them that it would be in there best interest if they go on their way. Unfortunately they do not listen and one manages to escape with his life. He won’t be cause anymore trouble.

Once in the town we hear about men flying on giant vultures flying toward the delegation as they left town. The delegating was heading for Summit Hall. Traveling down the road the next day we see some carrion birds circling off in the distance. Heading toward them we come across the scene of a battle. Many of the dead have the symbol Mirabar on them. Follow some tracks it leads us to the bank of a river. Looking around I can tell that there were boats moored on the land here. Going back to the wagon we continue on the way to Summit Hall.

We are greeted at the gates by an elderly lady. She welcomes us into the town. After Hue shows the elderly lady the mask he took form one of the dead bodies she informs us that monks of Sacred Stone wear masks like that and tells us the they hail from the Sacred Stone Monastery.

Cragmaw Castle (part 2)

The trek continues on though the castle. Fighting a bunch of zombies and a fly flaming skull Gor-rok drops. I see a vision of Torm, his god. Torm places a hand on Gor-rok’s shoulder and tells him that there is still many that need help in this world and it isn’t his time yet. I awake to m companions resting. Feeling much better we pick up the exploring again.

Finding a building we enter though the double doors to find a beast with an single eye and four other eye stalks coming out of it. The beholder talks to us and tells us that he is here to maintain this room and it’s belongings. We go on our way to seek out this wizard he told us about. We will deal with this foul beast later.

Entering a room we find a chest with a Wraith guarding it. The undead must be destroyed and we engage it. I get the final blow on it, but not before it has the chance to touch me with it’s foul hand. I feel the life force drain out of me as it’s cold hand hits my skin. Very weaken after the fight I suggest we take a long rest.

After the rest we continue to clear more of the cave. The wraith must have really taken a toll on me as I seem to not be moving in combat as I normally do. Some bugbears managed to drop me down into unconscious. Entering a room with two bugbears, a drow male, and four spiders we take action. Myastan moves in to engage the drow, who quickly casts a spell and disappears. The spiders move up to attack and web me to the floor where I stand. I try to break to webbing but can’t, I try again and finally break the webbing. I move up next to Myastan to help him with the spiders. Zhethog shoots some magic bolts out at the drow and kills him. Myastan and I go to town on the spiders. After a whirlwind of battle we defeat them. The Black Spider is slain!

The group wants to go back to due with the beholder. This could be trouble for us, as we have never fought a beast of this magnitude. I slay the foul beast with a mighty swing from Hue.

Cragmaw Castle

Entering Cragmaw we encounter some goblins and a grick. The grick was definitely more of a hassle then the goblins. Moving deeper in we find some of the gear that belonged to Sildar. Continuing on so far all we have encounted are goblins and bugbears. One room we enter has an owlbear chained up inside of it.

Toward the back of the keep we enter a room that has a bugbear, wolf, and a female drow in it. Seems we interrupted an argument between them. They is also a bloodied up dwarf laying on the floor in the room. When the drow is killed it transforms into a faceless humanoid creature. Healing the dwarf I move in to engage to bugbear.

Gundren informs us that the “drow” showed up very recently. He’s map should be somewhere in the castle, he won’t leave without. Zhethog looks under the mattress of the bed and finds a leather sack which has the map inside.

Returning to town with Gundren to rest and we tell him what has been going on in the town. He asks us to go to the cave, seems the Black Spider has found the location of the cave also. Gundren wants us to go to the cave to stop the Black Spider and with the hope to find his brothers.

After resting for the day we head to the cave. As soon as we enter we find the body of Tharden. Heading down into a pit to continue on we make our though the catacombs and encounter some kind of ooze. Though a door we see a bunch of dwarf bones with three grey figures gnawing on the bones. Moving though some more of the passages we come into a big room with more ghouls in it.

Once back in Phandlin we are not far from the Cragmaw Castle. We head off to the castle in hopes that we find Gundrin. As we approach we are shot at via arrow slits in the castles outer wall. Myasten and Gor-Rok take care of the goblin pests. I inspect the room leading north and find a trip wire. I deactivate the trap. In the next room we destroy a hideous worm-like creature called a Grick. This room has curtains on either side that leads to an Alter. I sneak up to the curtain and see a group of goblins ready to ambush us. After we take care of the goblins we travel south and find Sildars gear in a near-by storage room. Next to that room we find the barracks with some hobgoblins resting. Zhethog put one to sleep and I blind another. Once the rest are dead Zhethog cuts the throat of the sleeping hobgoblin. We decide to take a short rest in the barracks.

After resting we travel north back to rooms we have not explored yet. We soon find a mess hall with 6 goblins and their cleaver-wielding cook. Once we kill the cook the rest of the goblins flee through a door leading outside, and they escape into the woods. The next room we kill a few hobgoblins. The next-door leads into a room with an owl bear chained to the floor. After killing the owl bear, Zhethog spots a chest tucked high above us. I climb up and drop the chest down to them. It holds some treasure and a restoration scroll.

The next room has what we have hoped to find. Gundrin is tied up on the floor. Next to him is a female Drown. Across the room, stands a large hulking bugbear and his pet wolf. We move in quickly not knowing the health of our good friend Gundrin. Zhethog drops the Drow and when he does her face transforms into a faceless human. Myastan and Gor-Rok kill the wolf and hurt the bugbear with heavy blow. I am able to maneuver in for the final strike, killing the bugbear.

Gundrin tells us of his capture, and the wereabouts of the black spider. He says they took his map, and have found the cave he has eagerly wanted to explore himself. We get Gundrin back to Phandlin and plan our next adventure to the Wave Echo Cave.

Alderleaf told us we might find information on the location of the Cragmaw Castle from an old druid in Thundertree. She said his name was Reidoth, and that Thundertree is a few miles east of Neverwinter.

Once we arrive at Thundertree, we see it is a ruin city. There is a large stone tower in the distance standing above the rest of the ruins. At the entrance to the city there is a sign warning of zombies and plant monsters.

We causally start investigating the builds and find one that has been fortified. We knock on the door and Myastan asks if a druid named Reidoth lives around here. A voice answers softly “ were you followed”. We look around and answer “no”. The door opens quickly and we shuffle into the small dwelling. The man introduces himself as Reidoth. Myastan explains our reason for seeking him out. He tells us the location of the castle, but asks if we could help him with problem he has been having. It seems that a Green Dragon has taken up residence in the stone tower and a group of cultists have come to try and gain favor with the dragon. We agree to help remove the dragon.

We try to move quietly through the ruins but are spotted by 4 ash zombies. We easily take care of them. Just before we get to the tower Reidoth casts a protection spell on us. When we get to the main entrance of the tower the dragon reacts to our intrusion by spraying us with a cone of poison that drops both Gor-Roc and I immediately. Myastan hold off the dragon enough for us to recover with healing given by Reidoth. We rally back and are able to send the dragon off heavily wounded.

With the information we came for we say our good byes to Reidoth and head back to Phandalin to get Zhethog and set out to the Cragmaw Castle.

Thundertree

Heading to Thundertree to find the druid that Qelline Alderleaf told us about. Once we reach Thundertree we find the druid and he tells us where Cragmaw Castle is and he asks us to dispose of a green dragon that has moved into the are of the ruins.

Making our way to where the dragon is Myastan isn’t too quiet and draws the attention of some of the ash zombies that are in the area. After the battle with them we make our to take on the dragon.

We tackle the dragon head on. It opens up with it’s breath weapon, a poisonous gas and it downs Hue and I. With the help of the druid I wake up to see Myastan battling the dragon. I move over to Hue and lay my hands on him to heal him. We regain our ground and fight off the advance of the dragon and he decides that it is best for him to run away if he wants to live.

Heading back to Phandalin we meet back up with Zhethog and we make our way to Cragmaw Castle.